Around 8 years ago when I joined TISS for my masters, I had no formal work experience after college. But I had been running Breakfree Journeys. Since 2009, I had nurtured the idea and a community of kindred souls who were as passionate about travel as I was. I had identified a clear niche to tap into. A growing tribe of travellers, explorers whose thirst for adventure was fuelled by us. Their curiosity for history satiated by our walks. Soon, preparation began for summer internship placements – a milestone in most MBA colleges. Unknown to me, this big so called momentous process was slated to have a lasting impact on my career. It was absurd, I thought. Then we were asked to make CVs. I wrote down: Founder – Breakfree Journeys. Total experience exceeded 60 months.
The placement committee was aghast. They said that showing such a long experience on the CV would harm my choices of getting shortlisted. I had no clue what I was up against but I knew that I couldn’t erase my experience and show that I was a fresher. I didn’t care about getting shortlisted, I just had to be true to myself. After all I had invested my early twenties in nurturing an idea which I was not going to let go off as easily. I had learnt a lot about India and I had developed a good knack for business. If the recruiters wouldn’t see it then it was their loss. I was so pissed off that I wanted to opt out of the process but the very kind and venerable Dr. Mulla nudged me in the other direction. So I sat through the process and decided to go in with my Breakfree experience.
The day arrived. No one shortlisted me for a very long time. The placecom folks were right. My experience of over 60 months had proven a deterrent. Turns out the heuristic followed by HR folks is to sort candidates from lowest to highest on their tenure and pick the first few. Apparently freshers make for better employee. But somehow I got called in at about 1 pm. I landed an internship which would pay me twice the entire fee amount for all semesters. It was an outsourcing company. I didn’t care.
Many years later, Breakfree Journeys still continues to feature on my CV. And during every job interview I have had and every other interaction I have had about my career so far – my time with Breakfree stands out. It was the best of times and the best of times. I am glad I didn’t fall trap to the false narrative of fear that placement committees are known for. I am glad that I stuck to my guns.